Creating proper and interesting text is hard and many of us struggle with it; could an ESL writing program finally change this predicament?

Writing is a powerful tool that helps us to achieve some of our most important ambitions – our career, our public life, our private life… I assume you care about how others will judge what you write; so be sure to read on the following article to the end. (more…)

The Niles Township English Language Learner Parent Center needs help to secure a grant for new computers and trained interpreters.

The $50,000 grant Center Director Corrie Wallace wants is not just any grant. This one calls for public voting on the Internet through the end of October. If enough votes are case, Wallace’s funding request moves into the top 100 proposed projects on the list.

Only the top 10 grant applications receive funding under The Pepsi Refresh Project grant program, and Wallace doesn’t have much hope of that happening — at least not this month. Her funding request sits at 198th on a list of 1,000, so it would have to make a miraculous leap in a short time to reach that high. (more…)

Never mind the English-only movement — America should have a Spanish-too movement. Maybe even a Chinese-three movement. It is time for comprehensive reform of our language education policies, not only because they should reflect America’s changing demographics, but also because bilingualism is imperative in a global economy. The Excellence and Innovation in Language Learning Act, which is being considered in a House committee, could be a step in the right direction.

You may remember a year ago when there was a push for English-only in Nashville. All city business would have been done in English, and immigrants would have been forced to catch up. Though yesteryear’s news, it reflects recurring American attitudes that English should be our only language and that immigrants should conform or get left behind. (more…)

Overall, graduation rates at Pierson Middle High School are looking good. In a state that, in 2009, set its graduation rate standard at 55 percent, Pierson topped 98 percent. However, for English as a Second Language (ESL) students, these figures are dramatically warped. After looking at the statistics year after year, school superintendent Dr. John Gratto noticed “there’s a much higher failure rate” among ESL students.

The issue is of particular concern this year as Pierson has seen a 50 percent increase in ESL student enrollment since last spring, a number that’s jumped from 20 to 30 students. “The crux of the issue is the spike in enrollment,” said Pierson principal Jeff Nichols. Especially with graduation rates among ESL students already low, the school will now look to ways to improve educational programs for its ESL student population. (more…)

“Bienvenido – Welcome” it says in colorful letters on the door to the English as a second language classroom at Grace Christian Elementary School in Hattiesburg. Inside, teacher Sandra Martinez is teaching English to two native Spanish speakers. Fifth-graders Esmeralda Gonzaga and Jennifer Garcia are speaking a mixture of Spanish and English to Martinez as they read about and discuss what kangaroos do.

“Leap is another word for jump,” Martinez tells the students, who sit below a world map. She uses a variety of stuffed animals to demonstrate different body parts as the girls learn the English words for tail and paw. Martinez is one of three teachers and three tutors who teach English as a second language to 132 students in the Hattiesburg Public School District, 17 students more than last year. (more…)

We talk to each other using spoken skills. We don’t have time to write down what we are saying. If I went for an interview, we would use spoken skills. People are increasingly judged by their ability to manipulate a language in a spoken form, than in any other form.

Dr Kalema says spoken skills can influence the written skills and vice versa. He attributes the decline in language competence to Uganda’s education system which has neglected training students in some skills to produce a labour force ready for the job market. (more…)

The Laguna Beach Unified School District Adult Education Program and La Playa Center are now offering free adult English-as-a-Second Language classes. The classes are held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Laguna Beach High. The classroom is located on the second floor building behind the swimming pool on Park Ave., which can be accessed from the path to the right of the pool.

Classes are also held from 9 to 11 a.m. weekdays at the Boys and Girls Club, 1085 Laguna Canyon Road. Students may attend any or all of the classes. Enroll with the instructor in the classroom. (more…)